I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the technology behind torrents.
For those that are unfamiliar, torrents, or BitTorrent protocol is:
A peer-to-peer file sharing protocol used for distributing large amounts of data. BitTorrent is one of the most common protocols for transferring large files, and it has been estimated that it may account for as much as 43 % of all Internet traffic (depending on geographical location) as of February 2009.
Some of the technology behind it has been too difficult for me to properly understand but the philosophy and culture that surrounds it has definitely impacted my thinking over the last decade.
It’s definitely provided ethical challenges in the past but I’m over those since I don’t actually use this protocol much anymore but I still keep up-to-date with the changes and how things are progressing with the technology.
BitTorrent’s µTorrent Beta has snagged my interest as it continues to improve on neat things like web streaming, advanced web-based control and access,and more.
Previously you had to wait for the entire file to complete downloading but now the client prioritizes earlier parts of the file to enable the end use to begin watching soon after download.
This is especially important because of continued rise of video viewing and live-streaming. I think there’s already a bridge being built that’ll span the two different protocols (BitTorrent and classic VOD/Live technology). This is an exciting probability!
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